Razor-blade-sharpening machine.



E. TBSSMER.

RAZOR BLADE SEARPENING MACHINE.

APPLIoATIoN FILED JUNn, 1911.

1,022,383. Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

\ l l l l HWI WTNESSES.' NI/ENTH I mamy E. TESSMER.

RAZOR BLADE SHARPENING MACHINE.

APPLIOATIONIILBD JUNBs,1911.

1,022, 3 8 3. Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EARL TESSMER, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0

I F. lVI. GORDON, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

RAZOR-BLADE-SHARPENING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

Application filed June 5, 1911. Serial No. 631,488.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, EARL Tnssuen, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of lVashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Razor-Blade-Sharpening Machines, of which the following' is a specication.

The object of this invention is the provi sion of a raZor-stropping machine which will be automatic in operation and will produce keen cutting edges to razor blades with no further manual attention than required in the removal or insertion of a blade and which actions may be performed without interfering with the sharpening being done on the remaining blades.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is a View partly in elevation and partly in vertical section of a razor sharpening' machine. Fig. 2 is a partial plan `view of the same. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation. Fig. 4L is a section through 1 4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 5 designates a pedestal serving as the base of the machine frame, provided at the top with a cylindrical post 6 which extends upwardly from a shoulder 7. Mounted for rotation on the post and supported on said shoulder is a hub 8 having radially directed arms 9 which support a circular' table'lO. This table supports at its center a hollow standard 11 provided at its top with an annular channel for a plurality of balls 12 which serve as anti-friction bearings for a wheelboss 13. Extending' radially from said boss are spokes 14; carrying at their outer ends an annular plate 15, to the under side of which is secured a ring' 16 of leather, or other material suitable for stropping a razor. Bracket pieces 17 are rigidly secured to the various aforesaid spokes and, like the latter, carry at their outer ends an annular p-late 15 having secured to its upper face a ring 16 of leather, or an equivalent. The rings 16 and 16 are thus arranged to oppose each other and are spaced at a short distance apart to accommodate the work of the machine as will be presently described. At a distance above said rings is a circular element 18 having in its periphery a camgroove comprising two sets of ways 18 and 18 arranged in alternate order and at different elevations with inclined connections therebetween, as will be understood from an inspection of Fig'. 3. The cam element. 18 is connected by spokes 19 with a hub 19 which is secured to an upright shaft 20 extending' axially through the standard 11 and sustained by a center support extending upwardly from thc pedestal 5. Adjacent to 'its lower end, said shaft carries a spur-gear 2l driven by a pinion 22 from the armature shaft of an electric motor 23 which is secured to one of the aforesaid arms 9 to cause it to be revolved with the table 10.

The wheel boss 13 is secured to the upper end of a tubular shaft 24 surrounding the shaft 20 and, below the table, carries a spur gear 25 in mesh with a driving pinion 26 mounted on said4 armature shaft to be rotated thereby. Ball bearings 27 and 27 are dcsirably provided, as shown in Fig. 1, to prevent lateral movement of the shaft 24 with respect to the standard l1 and the shaft 20. Electric conducting rings 28 secured to the pedestal 5 cooperate with brushes 28 for supplying current to aetuate the motor. The rings 28 may be connected with circuit wires in any suitable manner as, for example, by extending up through the interior of the pedestal.

Positioned upon the table 10 is a plurality of stands 29 severally provided with `journal bearings for horizontal shafts 31 extending radially of the machine axis into the space provided between the leather rings 16, 16. lithin such space each of these shafts is provided with a rib 31, Figs. 2 and ll, to receive the jaws 32 of a spring metal razorblade holder having oppositely directed jaws 32 between which the razor blades 33 are inserted. At the opposite, or outer ends, of the shafts 31 they are each provided with a crank arm 31 which is slotted, as at 311, Fig. 3, to receive the end of a finger 35 of spring metal and serving as an extension to the arm 31 with which connected. The fingers respectively project between spaced lugs 36 provided on collars 37 ixedly secured to the lower ends of rods 38 which extend through guides 29 formed on thc respective stands 29. Above said guides, the rods 38 are directed, as at 38 to extend into the groove of the cam element 17 and, desir-ably, are each provided with a wheel 39 to track therein. As illustrated in Fig. 3, a rod 38 is provided with a spline l0 whose office is to prevent any turning motion to the rod. Hingedly connected to each of the stands 29 is a device for locking the associated shaft 31 against any oscillation to cause same to be temporarily inoperative when a blade is to be removed from or inserted in a particular holder. Said device comprises a substantially U-shaped catch 41 having its arms 41 arranged to be swung above and below the crank-arm 31 to engage the latter therebetween, as represented at a in Fig. 2.

The operation is as follows: Then the motor 23 is energized the pinions 22 and 26 on the armature shaft cause the shafts 20 and 24 to be rotated through the instrumentality of the gears 21 and 25, respectively. These shafts are driven in the same rotary directions, but at different speeds by reason of the different proportions of the driving gears by which motion is derived from the motor. The shaft 20 serves to rotate the cam element 13 and the other shaft 24 serves to rotate the two rings 16 and 1G. The razor blades 33 to be sharpened are connected by the holders therefor with the ribs 31 of the shafts 3l which are oscillated to present the blades alternately to the rings 16 and 16 through the medium of the revolving movement of the cam element 18 to bring the wheels 39 of rods 33 alternately into the ways 18 and 1S of the cam groove, to correspondingly elevate and depress the rods. Such reciprocatory motions of the rods 33 are transmitted to the shafts 31 through the agency of the fingers 35 and the crank arms 31 of the different shafts 31 progressively. The up and down strokes of the rods 38 are of somewhat greater lengths than required to carry the razor blades into contact with the rings 16 and 16', consequently the fingers 35 will yield and afford pressure of the blades against the rings. When a blade is properly sharpened the operator turns the table 10 to bring the stand 29 with which such blade is associated in front of the operator, who then swings t-he locking device 41 into the position whereat it is indicated by a in Fig. 2 with the arms 41 thereof embracing the crank-arm 31. This engagement interrupts the oscillatory motion of the shaft 31 and the continuing up and down-movements of the affected rod 33 is compensated for by the bending of the linger 35. The shaft 31, when thus made inactive, allows the razor blade 33 to be withdrawn with the holder therefor and while the shaft is still idle the holder with another blade may be restored to again become operative when the arm 31 is released from the previously employed locking device.

IVhat I claim, is-

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a pedestal, a table, and a motor, of a wheel carrying a pair of spaced rings formed of leather or other suitable razor-stropping material, a cam, transmission means for rotating said wheel and the cam at different speeds through power generated by said motor, stands secured to said table, shafts mounted .for oscillation in the respective stands, a razor-holder detachably connected with each of said shafts and eX- tending into the space between said rings, rods mounted in said stands for vertical movements and operated by said cam, and flexible connections between said rods and said shafts whereby the oscillations of the latter are accomplished to present the edges of razor blades carried in said holders alternately to the aforesaid rings.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a pedestal, a table rotatably supported thereby, and a motor connected with the table, of a wheel carrying a pair of spaced rings formed of leather or other suitable raZor-stropping material, a cam, transmission means for rotating said wheel and the cam at different speeds through power generated by said motor, stands secured to said table, shafts mounted for oscillation in the respective stands, a razor-holder detachably connected with each of said shafts and extending into the space between saidv rings, rods mounted in said stands for vertical movements and operated by said cam, and flexible connections between said rods and said shafts whereby the oscillations of the latter. are accomplished to present the edges of razor blades carried in said holders alternately to the aforesaid rings.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a pedestal, a table, and a motor, of a wheel carrying a pair of spaced rings formed of leather or other suitable razor-stropping material, a cam, transmission means for rotating said wheel and the cam at different speeds through power generated by said motor, stands secured to said table.l shafts mounted for oscillation in the respective stands, a razor-holder detachably connected with each of said shafts and eX- tending into the space between said rings, rods mounted in said stands for vertical movements and operated by said cam, flexible connections between said rods and said shafts whereby the oscillations of the latter are accomplished to present the edges of razor blades carried in said holders alternately to the aforesaid rings, and means whereby said rods may be temporarily rendered inoperative to oscillate the respective shafts.

4. In a machine of the. class described, the combination with a pedestal, a table rotatably supported thereby, and a motor connected with the table, of a wheel carrying a pair of spaced rings formed of leather or other suitable razor-stropping material, a cam, transmission means for rotating said wheel and the cam at different speeds through power generated by said motor, stands secured to said table, shafts mounted for oscillation in the respective stands, a razor-holder detachably connected with each of said shafts and extending into the space between said rings, rods mounted in said stands for vertical movements and operated by said cam, flexible connections between said rods and said shafts whereby the oscillations of the latter are. accomplished to present the edges of razor blades carried in said holders alternately to the aforesaid rings, and means whereby said rods may be temporarily rendered inoperative to oscillate the respective shafts.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a pedestal, a table rotatably supported thereby, and a motor connected with the table, otl a wheel carrying a pair of spaced rings formed of leather or other suitable raZor-stropping material, a cam, transmission means for rotating said wheel and the cam atdifferent speeds through power generated by said motor, stands secured to said table, shafts mounted lor oscillation in the respective stands, a razor-holder detachabl y connected with each o1 said shafts and extending into the space between said rings, and means actuated by said cam whereby said shafts are oscillated to present a razor blade carried by one of said holders to each of said rings alternately.

EARL TESSMER. lVitnesses H. BARNES, E. PETERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for vc cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

